Eli Lilly’s Zepbound holds possibility to dominate obesity market

It has been a year since the launch of Zepbound (tirzepatide) for obesity, and Eli Lilly’s competition with Novo Nordisk continues. Zepbound’s superior efficacy and strategic market expansion suggest that the drug will dominate the obesity market, surpassing Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy (semaglutide), according to GlobalData.

Recently, Eli Lilly announced the results from its SURMOUNT-5 trial, comparing Zepbound and Wegovy’s efficacy on equal grounds. Zepbound, as expected, was more effective in promoting weight loss. While Wegovy caused an average weight loss of 13.7 per cent body weight, Zepbound promoted around 20.2 per cent body weight loss in patients.

On December 20, 2024, tirzepatide also received FDA approval for obstructive sleep apnea. Tirzepatide is being investigated for four additional indications, including cardiovascular risk factors, chronic kidney disease, and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH).

Costanza Alciati, Pharma Analyst at GlobalData, comments, “From the start, Zepbound emerged as the primary new competitor of Wegovy, and it seems that Eli Lilly has followed in some way Novo Nordisk’s strategy to increase patients’ population through investigating the drug in multiple indications.”

Indeed, semaglutide is approved for type 2 diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular risk factors, and is in development for four additional indications, including chronic kidney disease.

Given Wegovy’s success and record-high sales, a wave of investments has gone into the obesity space over the last couple of years. According to GlobalData Drugs Database, more than 400 companies are actively developing obesity drugs, from discovery to pre-registration candidates.

Alciati concludes, “The impact of Wegovy on the obesity market has been huge. Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) interviewed by GlobalData defined it as “revolutionary”. Now with Zepbound, the revolution continues, and Eli Lilly’s drug is more potent, and perhaps negotiations with national health services will also make it more cost-effective than Wegovy. So, Zepbound is expected to take the lead in the obesity market if it hasn’t already done so.”

Edits made by EP News Bureau